What are Vector & Raster Charts?

Because vector charts are comprised of different layers of information, you can select as much or as little information as you want for any chart view. As you zoom in, increasing levels of detail are available without any sacrifice to image resolution.

Using less than 1/100th of the memory capacity needed by a raster chart, the NAVIONICS vector chart loads, displays and pans many times faster than a raster chart. This gives chart plotter manufacturers the ability to build low-cost, easy-to-use systems.

Vector charts are produced with the most current navigation information available at the time of production, and contain additional information not found on official charts.

The electronic raster chart looks just like a paper chart because that's exactly what it is; a scanned reproduction of a paper chart. The simplicity of this process makes raster charts easy and inexpensive to manufacture, yet frustratingly limited in use.

Information on a raster chart is limited to what is available on the paper chart being viewed. Zooming in on a raster chart only magnifies the view, much like bringing a paper chart from arms length to the tip of your nose.

Electronic raster charts are commercially available from some hydrographic agencies, such as the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA) and the British Admiralty.